ATM theft suspect flees courthouse before arraignment

A man accused of stealing an ATM from a College-area coffee house showed up for his arraignment today, then disappeared, prompting a judge to issue a warrant for his arrest.

Scott Thomas Bishop, 50, was free on bail when he arrived at the downtown courthouse to face charges of grand theft and receiving stolen property.

But when bailiffs called his case, he was gone.

The automatic teller machine had been pulled from its moorings and stolen from the Daily Grind Coffee House and Cafe on El Cajon Boulevard around 6 a.m. Sept. 16, said San Diego police Sgt. Ray Battrick.

Witnesses saw a tall man and a blond woman walking off with the ATM on a hand cart.

About an hour later, most of the emptied cash dispenser was found dumped near Jamacha Boulevard in Spring Valley.

Bishop was arrested that night when a special weapons and tactics team found parts of the stolen ATM, but no money, while serving a search warrant at a home in Spring Valley, according to San Diego police.